Rebel Inc - best android Survival games
Survival games are an interesting collection of games. Virtually all games have a component where you can lose them game by dying. However, survival games make the act of staying alive the key component in the game. It’s a fairly robust genre with a lot of really good titles. However, there aren’t a ton of pure survival games on mobile. In most cases, you’re looking at hybrid experience that includes survival mechanics along with other genres as well. If you’re in the mood to try really hard to not die, here are the best survival games for Android!

Call of Duty: Mobile or PUBG Mobile

Price: Free to play (each)

Call of Duty: Mobile is an excellent shooter with some survival elements. You get the usual array of multiplayer modes like deathmatch. However, it also includes a 100-player battle royale where the goal is to literally outlive the rest of the participants. That mode in a game like this is perfect for a list like this. PUBG Mobile and Fortnite are obviously two other great options in the mobile FPS space for those who also want a survival element. You don’t have to worry about water or food, but surviving a 100-player free-for-all is still rather difficult. You can get Call of Duty: Mobile at the button below or you can try out PUBG Mobile here and Fortnite here.

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

Price: Free

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is one of those diamond in the rough survival games. It’s free and open source with hundreds of contributors. You start out with nothing and try to survive in a randomly generated world. You have monstrosities to defeat, stuff to collect, and a human to protect. The graphics are retro style and the menu system is not great, but if you can get passed that, this is a surprisingly good game. There are also two versions. We linked to the one that is still actively updated. There’s another, older one that isn’t. You can go with either one.


Price: $4.99

Crashlands has so many different gaming elements that it boggles the mind. You’ll find RPG, survival, action, adventure, and even monster collecting. The game revolves around an intergalactic trucker who gets stranded on an alien planet. Your job is to fight bad guys, build a base, deliver your lost packages, and save the world from evil. It’s intensely deep, has over 500 items that you can craft, and you can even tame creatures to fight alongside you. There is cloud saving support and achievements. It also comes at a decent price and is one of the most unique survival games out there.

Day R Survival

Price: Free to play

Day R Survival is another excellent freemium survival game. This one takes place in the USSR. It includes 2,700 locations on a huge map, tons of items to find, and a relatively decent survival experience. You have to stave off hunger, not get killed by zombies, and avoid radiation where possible. It also boasts an RPG progression system for skills like shelter, mechanics, chemistry, and other such things. It’s a surprisingly deep survival game for its price tag. This one should be fun for a while.

Day R Survival screenshot 2020

The Escapists 2: Pocket Breakout

Price: $6.99

The Escapists 2 is a strategy simulation game with some survival elements. Players start out as convicted felons in prison. The ultimate goal is escaping from the prison. In order to do so, players have to formulate a a plan, craft the necessary items, and slowly make their escape. However, you also have to go to chow, show up for prisoner counts, etc in order to not get caught. It’s an entertaining game that doesn’t quite fit the survival genre, but there is enough survival here to put it on the list. It runs for $6.99 with no in-app purchases or ads.

Don’t Starve: Pocket Edition and Shipwrecked

Price: $4.99 each

Don’t Starve: Pocket Edition is one of the more popular survival games. Your job is to survive and succeed in an unrelenting wilderness. Not doing so will result in your quick and untimely death. Like most games in the genre, you’ll have to collect resources, exploit your environment for your own gains, and do whatever it takes to live. Shipwrecked is the second game in the series. It’s just as good as the first one, but set in a different environment. Both games are $4.99 with no in-app purchases.

Last Day on Earth: Survival

Price: Free to play

Last Day on Earth: Survival is one of the most popular survival games on mobile. You have to gather resources, steal stuff, craft stuff, and fight bad guys in order to stay alive. It also has shooter and zombie apocalypse elements. It also has a decent YouTube community for tips, tricks, and tutorials. This is a free to play game and players can buy advantages. However, and perhaps ironically, not buying anything makes it that much more difficult to survive stuff and some players like the added challenge. It’s entertaining for what it is, but people who don’t like freemium games may not like it as much. Jurassic Survival is very similar to this game in terms of mechanics and game play.


Price: Free to play

LifeAfter is one of the newer survival games on the list. It plays like most post apocalyptic survival games. A virus sweeps the planet and leaves most people dead or as monsters. You must survive the monster hoard, collect gear, craft stuff, and figure out ways to live. Players can craft safe houses, learn to tend wounds, and forage for food wherever they can. It’s all backed up with some decent graphics and controls. The game’s free to play mechanics can be a little stressful at times, but they’re mostly not a big deal.


Price: $6.99 with in-app purchases

Minecraft is one of the world’s most popular survival games on any platform. It’s also great for creative people and other stuff. Survival Mode is the epitome of what survival games should be. For those who don’t know, Minecraft puts you in a randomly generated world and then you do whatever you want. You can build things, mine things, kill things, grow things, and do pretty much whatever you want. Microsoft made some big moves with Minecraft in 2016 and 2017. You can play this game with people on PC and Xbox One now. It’s one of the few cross-platform games for mobile, PC, and Xbox One.

Out There: Ω Edition

Price: $0.99

Out There is perhaps one of the most underrated survival games. The premise is that you’re an astronaut who has woken up from cryogenic sleep. You’re in the middle of uncharted space, alone, and in desperate need of supplies. Your goal will be to fix your ship, find resources, and live. It also features a procedurally generated universe so no two plays will be the same. It’s a little old and hasn’t seen an update since 2017, but it’s still one of the best true survival games on mobile.

Rebel Inc

Price: Free to play

Rebel Inc technically isn’t a survival game but oh my goodness does it feel like one. You start the game as a leader and you try to stabilize a region torn apart by war. You have to rebuild the society, introduce things like clean water, and garner support from the locals. However, you also have to battle corruption, insurgent attacks, and a constant stream of things that need your attention and money. By the end of a round, it feels like a survival game even if its official genre is strategy-simulation. This one is hard and awesome. The game is free and you can get the pro version for $3.99. There are also in-game cheats and extras you can purchase with additional money as well. All things you purchase are permanently unlocked content and not consumable power-ups.

Rebel Inc is one of the best tablet apps for android


Price: $2.99

Rebuild is an interesting mix of survival and strategy. Players start by amassing the survivors of a zombie apocalypse. You slowly uncover and take back more land while also sending survivors out to scrounge for supplies. The undead represent the main threat, but things like gangs, illness, thieves, and riots also make appearances to hinder your path. Some other features include five difficulty levels, seven different endings, and some character customization. This one goes for $2.99 with no in-app purchases or ads.


Price: $4.99

Sheltered is a 2D survival-adventure game. This game features the usual array of survival game tropes, including a post apocalyptic world, a crafting system, and you scavenge a bunch of resources to build your shelter and keep yourself fed. However, this one adds an Oregon Trail style aspect in that you have a family that you also need to protect, clothe, and feed. You can send your family members out to scavenge for supplies at your own risk and sometimes the decisions are rather difficult. The game runs for $4.99 with no in-app purchases. The game hasn’t seen an update since 2017, but we’re leaving it here for now because it’s just that good.

Stormfall: Saga of Survival

Price: Free to play

Stormfall is a unique survival game mixed with an RPG. Your character is exiled out into the wilderness and you must survive. The game features open world exploration, a crafting system, various gear to collect, and you even get to use some magic. There are dungeons and ruins to explore as well as you conquer the unknown landscape. Plus, aside from starvation, there is a curse mechanic you get to deal with as well. Most of the game’s complaints center around its free to play strategies. However, by and large, you can move passed them with a bit of strategy and time.

This War of Mine

Price: $14.99 + $2.99

This War of Mine is one of the more serious survival games on the list. It won our pick for the best Android game released in 2015 and it remains one of the best games out there now. In this one, you play as a group of civilians who are trying to survive a war situation. You’ll have to outsmart and avoid enemy snipers, gather items, keep people alive, and make some difficult decisions. This War of Mine: Stories is a standalone experience with most of the same mechanics, but a different and more linear story line. Both games are excellent. The original goes for $14.99 and it’s a bit pricey. However, the expansion is only $2.99.

If we missed any of the best survival games for Android, tell us about them in the comments! You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists!

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